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The Eras Tour: The Intricate World-Building Behind Taylor Swift’s Most Ambitious Sets Ever

By Katherine McLaughlin

There’s a joke circling the internet following the opening weekend of Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour: look at any random collection of photos taken throughout the night—some even snapped mere minutes apart—and you’d never know they all came from the same show. What starts in a hazy pink, cotton candy dreamscape ends in a sultry, sparkling twilight—with plenty of undulating stops in the middle, from ethereal fairytale woods to the energetic skyscrapers of the concrete jungle. “[The stage] changed for almost every song, which is crazy to think about considering most artists have the same stage for their entire set list,” Maya Minocha, a fan who was at the opening weekend in Glendale, Arizona, tells  AD.  

Following the COVID-19-induced cancellation of Swift’s sixth headline tour, Lover Fest, in 2020, The Eras Tour is her triumphant return to live music. Three new albums and two rerecorded records later, the three-hour 44-song show recaps every era of her 17-year career in her most ambitious performance to date. “The sets absolutely made this possible,” Ginnie Low, who also attended the shows and runs the TikTok account The Thrifty Swiftie , says. “I didn’t move from my tiny little seat area the whole concert, but was transported to 10 different worlds.” Ariel Miranda , another concert-goer agrees. “It was such an immersive experience,” she says. With a distinct focus on world building,  AD takes a look at the incredible set design that helps bring her music to life throughout the 52-date sold-out tour. 

The Lover Era 

Swift during the opening number of The Eras Tour

Swift opened the show with tracks off of her seventh studio album,  Lover. “It was as if she picked up right from where she left off,” Miranda says. Having characterized the album with yellow, pink, and blue pastels, Swift—outfitted in a shimmering leotard—belted songs like “Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince” and “Cruel Summer” while dancers wielding billowing tapestries performed beneath a rosy glow.

Taylor Swift performs in front of the Lover House during The Eras Tour. 

At one point in the  Lover set, a familiar dollhouse-like home appeared behind Swift, which many fans recognize from the “Lover” music video. “The screen began flashing images that eventually would piece together to become the Lover House, which was a huge Easter egg,” Miranda adds. In the video, Swift and costar Christian Owens move through various colored rooms  within a house in a snow globe. When the music video first dropped, fans theorized that each room represented one of her existing albums, and with the release of three new albums, many believe the home is now complete . 

During “The Man,” Swift uses scaffolding and office props to emulate a corporate environment. 

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Other notable scenes from the Lover section of the show include a full-scale office cosplay moment during “The Man,” where Swift sings about the sexism she’s faced throughout her career. 

The Fearless Era

Projects and stage lights provide a golden glow during the Fearless era. 

Next up in the night, Swift performed three songs from her second album,  Fearless, for which she won album of the year in 2010 at the Grammys (the youngest artist to ever win the accolade). Though she was certainly popular in country circles following her self-titled debut album, it was this second record that established her mainstream success. And not only did the singer bring back some classic circa 2009  dance moves , she also brought back a dazzling gold motif that she employed when promoting the album over a decade ago. 

Taylor Swift with her bejeweled guitar

Outfitted in soft curls and sequins, Swift was often portrayed as the girl next door and an American sweetheart during this period. Though she did, at times, lean into this persona, fans remember her determination to be bold, strong, and, yes, fearless. The sparkles and shine acted as visual representation of this.

For fans, perhaps the most exciting Easter egg was a nod to the bedazzled guitar that she toured with during her  Fearless era. In an Instagram story, Swift revealed that it was her parents who artfully stuck the shimmering crystals onto her acoustic guitar just days before The Eras Tour kicked off. 

The Evermore Era

Taylor Swift performs songs from her ninth album, Evermore, at The Eras Tour. 

“The most striking moment was as she transitioned from Fearless to Evermore ,” Low opines. “The woods grew out of the stage.” A sister album to her 2020  Folklore,  Swift’s ninth album, Evermore, was positioned as a deeper exploration of the “folklorian woods,” a fictional, cottagecore-inspired place used to direct her first foray into indie folk music. Throughout this portion of the night, massive oak-like trees took center stage while Swift crooned behind a moss-covered piano. 

Swift uses a moss-covered piano for songs during this set. 

“I loved the Evermore era setup, particularly during her performance of ‘Willow,’” Miranda says. “It really made you feel like someone literally just picked you up and dropped you straight into this particular Taylor Swift album.” Sonically, Evermore was understood as a more gothic album compared to  Folkore. The bare trees and snow covered woods represent that, and they also show Swift’s desire to strip back layers and portray innately raw, natural storytelling. 

The Reputation Era

Swift stands atop a raised stage during the Reputation era of the concert. 

Spawned from Swift’s 2016 public feud with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West,  Reputation represented the singer’s reflection on fame and public perception and an opportunity to rewrite the “good girl” narrative she’d carried around for years. Though the album is often billed as defensive and reactive, it remains one of her most misunderstood collections: It’s also full of love songs and sweet moments. The dark stadium and blood red risers certainly support the most common perception of the album; however, it’s hard to miss the lit candles just below her. After all, it’s no coincidence burning is just as frequently used to describe rage and anger as it is passion and love.

The backup dancers pay homage to Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do” music video. 

During “Look What You Made Me Do,” Swift’s backup dancers perform in doll boxes dressed in outfits inspired by previous looks she’s worn. The moment was a direct nod to the song’s  music video , in which Swift reenacts various moments throughout her time in the public eye in an eruptive, Easter egg-filled video. 

The Speak Now Era 

Swift sings “Enchanted” during the Speak Now set. 

Though Swift only performed one song from her third album,  Speak Now —much to the disappointment of some fans—she made sure to make it count. The color purple defined the album’s aesthetic, and, though the shade is often associated with royalty, it can also symbolize ambition, power, and independence. Following her historic win at the Grammys for  Fearless,   Speak Now was a pivotal moment in her career. Could she keep up the pace or was she another teen star who lost momentum as they reached young adulthood? Not only did Swift deliver, she proved she could do it on her own: Speak Now was the first album she wrote entirely solo. 

The Red Era

Taylor Swift wears an outfit nearly identical to one she wore in the “22” music video. 

The original  Red tour, which took place between 2013 and 2014, was her biggest at the time. It included a seven-piece band, fifteen dancers, multiple costume changes, as well as jumbotrons and multilevel stages. Though The Eras set certainly honored some of these larger-than-life moments from the first  Red tour, it also showed considerable restraint. 

Swift wears a sparkling red coat during an acoustic set. 

During one particularly emotional moment, Swift sang the 10-minute version of her critically acclaimed “All Too Well” with just her acoustic guitar. However, this doesn’t mean it wasn’t exciting. “Even some of her slower songs like “All Too Well,” where it was just her and a guitar, had insane stage effects that you wouldn’t expect, like snow confetti falling across the stadium and the stage rising when she started singing a high note,” Minocha explains. 

The Folklore Era

Taylor Swift on an A-frame during the Folklore set

“I was so obsessed with the  Folklore set because it seemed like Taylor was living her best life in a little remote forest cabin even though some 60,000 people were watching her,” Minocha says of the A-frame cabin Swift brought on stage. (A version of this home was first seen in her  2021 Grammy’s performance .) 

Swift wears an Alberta Ferretti dress during the Folklore set. 

Thematically,  Folklore explored a fictional woodland world Swift dreamed up during quarantine, and while a cabin certainly captures that aura, the choice of an A-frame specifically is notable. Because they were relatively cheap and easy to build, the style of home grew in popularity in the United States following World War II as vacation properties—an appropriate connection given the album is centered around an escapist fantasy. 

A-frames also represented a unique moment for architects who, with little financial consequences at stake, were able to test out their more speculative creative ideations. In many ways, with lockdowns, limited promotion, and no obvious answer for how or if the music would be performed live, this is what Swift’s  Folklore era represented too: the opportunity to explore,  uninhibited . “I love that album and she really created this whole world for it,” Low adds, “Building the folklore cabin and bringing us all into that world with her was just so cool.” 

The 1989 Era

The 1989 set of Swift’s Eras Tour

“Another thing that I loved about the stage design in general was how there were basically three different parts of it that all connected together: the main stage, the diamond stage, and the catwalk that led to the end of the stage,” Miranda says. “She really utilized each and every one of these sections of the stage at different times during the night.” 

Swift and dancers wield golf clubs during “Blank Space.”  

Though examples are abundant, a particularly creative use came during Swift’s  1989 set, a record which won Album of the Year at the Grammys in 2016. While performing “Blank Space” on the central diamond, the raised portion displayed a Shelby Cobra, which Swift and backup dancers “hit” with light-up golf clubs in a live reenactment of an iconic scene from the song’s music video. 

The Midnights Era 

During the final set of the show, Swift performs songs from her newest album, Midnights.  

The non-stop show ended with cuts from Swift’s most recent album,  Midnights,  with the stage cast in dark light, representative of both the title of the album and the end of the concert. Standing firmly in the present,  Midnights still has its roots in the past, since the album tells “the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life,” Swift explained in a  Instagram post . It’s easy to follow the way the previous two-plus hours of sonic reflection—aided through the incredible set design—brought her to where she is now. As Minocha summarizes, “I’ve been to almost all of Taylor’s past tours and the stage and production has always been above and beyond, but because this one explores all the eras of her career, everything is just next level.”

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As Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Hits One Year, Let’s Take a Look at Its Staggering Numbers

O n March 17, it will officially have been one year since Taylor Swift's Eras Tour kicked off in Glendale, Ariz. In the 12 months since that fateful first show, Swift has broken untold records , made history as TIME's 2023 Person of the Year , cultivated a new legion of NFL fans , and announced her forthcoming 11th studio album— The Tortured Poets Department , out April 19—among a litany of other accomplishments.

By the end of 2023—less than halfway through its scheduled 152-show run—the Eras Tour had earned over $1 billion to become the highest-grossing concert tour of all time. During that period, every city where Swift played got a substantial economic boost from the so-called "Taylor Swift effect," a term that refers to the singer's unprecedented ability to influence consumer behavior. Following the inaugural U.S. leg of Eras, the U.S. Travel Association estimated that the tour's total economic impact likely exceeded $10 billion.

In the new year, Swift's staggering popularity seems to somehow still be on the rise. Less than a week after watching her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, win the Super Bowl, Swift played to the biggest concert crowd of her career while performing at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Australia during the first run of 2024 Eras dates, following four shows in Tokyo.

In honor of the first anniversary of the start of the Eras Tour, we're taking a numerical look back at the biggest year of Swift's career to date.

Read More: 2023 Person of the Year: Taylor Swift

Number of Eras shows and cities

Swift will have played 83 shows across 30 cities as of March 17. Of those shows, 53 took place in the U.S. in 20 different cities stateside. The remaining 30 were part of the Latin America and Asia-Pacific legs of the tour. By the end of 2024, Swift is set to play a grand total of 152 Eras shows across 54 cities worldwide.

Number of surprise songs

In addition to her 40-plus-song set list, Swift has played at least two "surprise songs" per Eras show. Taking repeats into account, she has performed 145 different tracks (counting mashups of repeat songs as unique entries) as her 167 surprise offerings.

Number of special guests

From MUNA to Sabrina Carpenter to Haim, Swift's Eras stops have featured 10 different opening acts. She has also brought out eight other special guests, from Maren Morris to frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff, to join her on stage at various shows.

Number of people in attendance at her biggest show to date

Swift played three back-to-back shows at MCG on Feb. 16, 17, and 18 that were each attended by a record 96,000 people for a three-day total of 288,000 concertgoers. Ed Sheeran, who drew a crowd of around 109,500 each of the two nights he played at MCG in 2023, still holds the venue's single-night attendance record. But that's largely due to the fact that Swift's stage setup took up more room in the arena, cutting down on the number of available seats.

Number of Eras tickets sold

Swift sold an estimated 4.35 million tickets across 60 tour dates within concert trade publication Pollstar's chart year of Nov. 17, 2022 to Nov. 15, 2023. That's an average of 72,500 tickets per show, with each ticket costing an average of $238.95. Using those numbers to extrapolate across shows played since then, Swift has likely now sold around 6.02 million tickets.

Total Eras Tour gross

Based on the approximately $17.32 million in ticket revenue Pollstar estimates Swift earned for each of the first 60 Eras dates, her total tour gross currently sits somewhere around $1.44 billion. By the end of 2024, the tour is expected to have brought in an astronomical $2.165 billion. For comparison, the second-highest grossing tour of all time, Elton John’s multi-year Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, sold six million tickets over the course of 328 shows to earn $939 million.

Total Eras merch revenue

According to reports from different venues, Pollstar estimates Eras attendees were spending an average of $40 per person on merch at the first 60 Eras shows. That puts Swift's tour merch revenue at an estimated $240.8 million—not including non-concert day purchases—following her first run of 2024 Eras dates.

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour box-office earnings

Since its Oct. 13 release in theaters, Swift's record-breaking three-and-a-half-hour concert film has grossed $180,756,269 in North America and $261,656,269 globally at the box office. An extended edition of the movie became available to rent via video on demand services on Swift's birthday, Dec. 13, followed by the longest and most complete version of the film, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version) , arriving on streaming on Disney+ March 14.

Number of new songs

Since the Eras Tour began, Swift has released two re-recorded albums, Speak Now (Taylor's Version) and 1989 (Taylor's Version) , and one new single, "You're Losing Me (From the Vault)," for a total of 45 new songs (including re-recorded songs and vault tracks). In their first week of sales, Speak Now (Taylor's Version) , which featured one Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 hit, and 1989 (Taylor's Version) , which featured seven Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 hits, sold 716,000 equivalent album units and 1.653 million equivalent album units, respectively. "You're Losing Me (From the Vault)" tallied 8.7 million official streams and sold 19,000 downloads in the U.S. in the first two days after its Nov. 29 debut, according to Luminate .

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Write to Megan McCluskey at [email protected]

Taylor Swift tour has many 'eras.' We tracked her movements to give you the look and feel.

"It's been a long time coming ..."

Taylor Swift is performing her first stadium tour in five years, and she put in all the stops so fans can enjoy every second of the three-hour-plus-long concert.

With more than 2 million tickets sold on the first day they were available – the most sold by an artist in a single day – The Eras Tour is a historically monumental event that's breaking stadium records at nearly every stop.

Fifty-two shows are planned across 20 U.S. cities from March through August, and each show  boasts a 44-song set list spread out over 10 distinctly different sets, representing the albums – or eras – from the past 17 years of her career.

To see where Swift is on stage for each song through the show, Twitter user Vinoj @MRPERFECTLYFlNE  mapped her movements during each song on stage, and we confirmed them at the show in Tampa April 14. Here's a look: 

The 'Lover' era begins as Swift emerges from beneath the stage 

The show kicks off with dancers carrying large pastel-colored tapestries across the stage, then setting them down so Swift can emerge from underneath the stage in a bejeweled bodysuit .

She then performs six songs from her 2019 studio album "Lover." She had planned a tour to promote the album with dates in 2020, but it was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic .

Each era comes with its own stage props, costume changes and visual effects . The stage itself is a screen that changes throughout the concert, and it features multiple moving platforms.

The bedazzled 'Fearless' era follows 

Swift then changes into a golden dress with a bedazzled guitar to perform three songs from her 2008 studio album "Fearless." She also plays alongside a band, including guitarist Paul Sidoti and bassist Amos Heller , who have both been touring with her since 2007.

Fearless was the first of her albums to receive a Grammy for album of the year in 2010. The Fearless Tour was her first headlining tour , spanning 118 shows from April 2009 through July 2010. 

Earthy vibes for the 'Evermore' era

The stage then changes to feature trees and a moss-covered piano as Swift wears a yellow dress and plays five songs from her 2020 studio album "Evermore." 

It was her second "pandemic album," released less than five months after the first, and features folk music in contrast to her country and pop albums. 

Snakes and slithering: The 'Reputation' era excites

As Swift transitions into the "Reputation" era, a snake slithers around the screens and across the stadium through the crowd's lighted bracelets. She then enters in a black, one-legged catsuit featuring a red snake as she sings four songs from the 2016 studio album.

The Reputation Stadium Tour, which also kicked off in Glendale, Arizona, included 53 shows over seven months in 2018 and was the highest-grossing music tour by a female artist that year. 

Glamour and periwinkle: The 'Speak Now' era

The stadium then features purple visual effects on all its screens as Swift walks toward center stage in a ballgown to sing one song from her 2010 studio album.

"Speak Now," aside from its deluxe edition, is entirely self-written by Swift and is rumored to be the next rerecorded album she will release. She also did a concert tour to promote "Speak Now" that included 110 shows from February 2011 through March 2012.

Who's Taylor Swift anyway? The 'Red' era

The stadium then turns red as a dancer appears with a box that plays snippets of songs from Swift's 2012 studio album. She then emerges wearing a shirt that features lyrics or phrases from songs in the album.

She plays four songs from "Red," including the 10-minute version of "All Too Well" released in 2021. The song is so notable that Stanford University has an entire course devoted to examining its lyrics .  

"Red" also had its own world tour, including 86 shows from March 2013 through June 2014.

The visually impressive 'Folklore' era

Like the "Evermore" era, the "Folklore" era transformed the stage into a forest. Swift starts the set by singing while lying on the mossy roof of a cabin and wearing a flowing gown, then performs seven songs from her 2020 studio album.

"Folklore" was the first of Swift's two "pandemic albums" and won a  Grammy for album of the year , making her the first woman in history to win the award three times.

Neon lights hark back to the '1989' era

The forest fades away and a neon skyline emerges on the screens to signal the 1989 era. Swift wears a matching beaded top and skirt to perform five songs from her 2014 studio album.

"1989" received her second Grammy for album of the year, and its stadium tour ran for 85 shows from May to December 2015. The 1989 World Tour was the world's highest-grossing music tour in 2015 .

The acoustic set, unique song choices

Swift then puts on a matching dress over the "1989"-era outfit to perform two "surprise songs" that are unique to each show on the tour. She plays one song on guitar and the other on a piano painted with flowers.

MORE: Tracking The Eras Tour set list and surprise songs

There are no visual effects during this set, but she has brought guests out to play with her, including Marcus Mumford and Aaron Dessner.

Swift ends with the 'Midnights' era, her latest album

After finishing the acoustic set, Swift dives under stage and emerges in a faux fur coat and sparkly T-shirt dress to perform seven songs from her most recent studio album, "Midnights."

She announced the release of "Midnights " at the MTV Video Music Awards in August 2022, then released it two months later in October.  

Is ‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour’ Movie as Good as the Live Concert? For Diehard Swifties, It’s Downright Enchanting (Commentary)

Small moments both curated and candid deliver a rich moviegoing experience for the most fervent of fans

Taylor Swift’s concert documentary “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” was as brilliant in the theater as it was to witness from the nosebleeds of SoFi Stadium. I won’t say it was better because the collective effervescence of a concert cannot be created without an arena setting and thousands of screaming Swifties, but the film transported me.

The only expectations that weren’t met (because the unexpected is almost always expected from Swift) were those that imply she may hint at the next re-record — rumored to be “Reputation,” which came out originally in 2017 — or anything of that nature.

With the grand entrance Swift makes at the start of the concert memorialized on film in high definition, the “Eras” tour became cemented in history and popular culture. Her choice to start with the “Lover” era, specifically with “Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince” (after which her first documentary on Netflix was named) sets the tone for a concert experience in which the “soulmate crowd situation” Swift describes in the documentary is guaranteed.

Swift knows her fans, which is evident in her next song choices of “Cruel Summer” — the should-have-been hit single that became so through streaming on Spotify — and “The Man,” for which her transition is characteristically theatrical and quirky. Her heart-hands pose and the sequence in which she spot-spins during “Fearless” melts the nostalgic hearts of Swifties who have been with her since the beginning.

Touches like the three-dimensional graphic transitions between album eras (like the “Reputation” snake, the “Evermore” forest, the “Red” balloons, the wave that washes “1989” away for “Midnights”) heavily immerse the viewer into each new set, whether it be the gigantic scaly snake sparking fear and adrenaline or the red balloons calling back to the circus theme of the “Red” tour. Close-ups of Swift herself magnify her presence, both as a performer and as a human. Her face glistens with sweat, though her makeup stays put. Her straightened hair curls back into its natural wave as she progresses throughout the nine eras.

Even the chipped gray nail polish on her “Folklore” nail puts her on a more even level with her fans. Swift knows by now that she has achieved a high echelon status of fame, but her polished humility when she laughs at her attempted arm pose on the mossy evermore piano or how she talks about how she’s “supposed to play it cool” on a tour this big keep her grounded throughout.

The zoomed-in shots of her dancers and backup singers also bring about more appreciation for their costumes, with each able to express themselves within the theme of the respective era. Dance details reinforce Swift’s brand of teamwork and spotlight-sharing, like the two male-presenting dancers swirling around in the “Lover” dance number with three other couples, all of which include one woman and one man. Each dancer gets unique roles, whether they hand Swift her color-coded microphones, fuzzy or shimmery coats or play her scene partner in the more theatrical numbers.

The precision with which all these choices were made begs for Oscar consideration of the film alone. Swift puts on a stellar performance as the star of the show and her dancers and backing vocalists make a great ensemble supporting cast. Her band is responsible for the crisp, clear sounds, and if anything, the graphic transitions that enhance the experience deserve some love because they’re well done and not overstated.

The selection of specific cuts from the three nights of the tour filmed in LA also speaks volumes about Swift, director Sam Wrench and whoever else was involved in the curation of the moments. At the beginning of the “Red” set, Swift gives her “22” bowler hat to a lucky audience member along with a big hug. The film captures the moment she gave the hat to Bianka Bryant, daughter of the late Kobe Bryant, and it might have been disappointing if it didn’t. The following night Swift presented the hat to an unknown young woman who definitely earned her spot, but had this clip been included in the doc instead that would have been off-brand for Swift, who makes a big deal of generosity with other celebs, especially those younger than her.

The spliced-together surprise songs included “Our Song” from the Friday, August 4 show and “You’re on Your Own, Kid.” The inclusion of “Our Song,” from Swift’s debut, self-titled album ensures representation of all ten of her eras, while “You’re On Your Own, Kid” nods to the trend of friendship bracelet exchanges that marked the tour.

It looks as if she performed both songs on the same night but these were two separate shows, with her piano rendition of “You’re On Your Own, Kid” taking place on Saturday, August 5. The pink dress she wore in both segments helped weave the flips together. This begs the question: which other segments were from which nights? Even eagle-eyed Swifties might have a tough time deciphering, but I wouldn’t put it past them.

As a major Swiftie who appreciates the deep cuts, I remained skeptical after seeing the concert because I felt the “Red” and “Reputation” sets didn’t acknowledge some of the sleeper hits of those albums, but watching the film changed my mind as to how powerful the singles and radio bangers can be in a crowd of SoFi capacity. The “Evermore” and “Folklore” sets involved more elaborate staging, props and choreography, which points to the growth and development of Swift as a musician during the pandemic. The exquisite details reflect how she carefully layered the songs of the sister albums.

Choreography standouts included the titled “Willow,” with the dancers in swirling and flourishing green velvet capes juggling glowing orbs that call back to the music video, the somber march of Swift’s backup dancers during “My Tears Ricochet” and Swift herself pulling strings and acting like a puppet master controlling her dancers on the hypnotic black and white stage floor during “Mastermind.”

I can’t forget to point out that Swift starts the concert in a bright, bedazzled bodysuit for “Lover,” which she covers with a sparkly blazer for “The Man.” She does the same thing, but in reverse order, for the “Midnights” set, where she appears in a thick fuzzy jacket with a T-shirt dress and underneath wears a deep blue sparkly bodysuit. “Lover” and “Midnights” give off twin flame energy for sure. What a mastermind, indeed.

“Long Live (Taylor’s Version)” with the clips of fans in the credits sequence seals the deal of an artist who celebrates her biggest supporters. Swift has always been so fan-driven and “The Eras Tour” marked a new achievement that she can wholeheartedly celebrate with them after climbing and moving mountains of criticism and rumors to find peace, success and best of all, “Karma.”

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The year in Taylor Swift, from The Eras Tour to 1989 (Taylor's Version) to Travis Kelce

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Highlights from Taylor Swift ’s record-breaking 2023.

Nobody had a year like Taylor Swift did in 2023. In fact, it’s probably fair to say no one has ever had a year like Taylor Swift did in 2023. If you thought she was inescapably famous before, her complete cultural saturation this year proved that there were yet more personal and professional peaks for her to reach. From her tabloid-famous romances to the blockbuster success of her re-recordings to the incredible economic impact of The Eras Tour, there wasn’t a facet of pop culture that Swift’s influence didn’t reach. Click on to look back at her record-breaking, chart-dominating, award-winning 2023. Long may she reign.

January: Breaking records, taking names, and “Lavender Haze”

Taylor Swift’s 2023 started off with a broken record, heralding what was to come for the rest of the year. On January 17, she surpassed her personal best of seven weeks at the top of the Billboard charts (for “Blank Space”) with “ Anti-Hero ,” which spent a total of eight weeks at No. 1 . That same month, she released the self-directed “Lavender Haze” music video co-starring transgender model Laith Ashley. (In the spirit of the nonsensical amount of records Swift would break this year, note that “Lavender Haze” became her 27th top 10 hit on the Adult Pop Airplay Chart, tying Maroon 5 for the most top 10s of any artist in that category.)

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March: The Eras Tour begins

The training paid off, because The Eras Tour was an immediate sensation, as expected. Fans came flocking to see the show, and cities and stadiums sparked a new trend of making ostentatious displays to show obsequiousness to visiting royalty: opening tour stop Glendale, Arizona, for instance, changed its name to “Swift City” for the duration of her stay. Meanwhile, Swift had her own way of celebrating the start of tour by releasing four “From The Vault” tracks , which included reuniting long-defunct duo The Civil Wars on “Safe & Sound” and the previously unreleased “All Of The Girls You Loved Before.” To top off all that triumph, she became only the second person in history to have seven albums in the top 40 of the Billboard 200 charts at the same time. (The feat had only previously been accomplished by Whitney Houston in the immediate aftermath of her death.)

Meanwhile, Swifties prepared to take Ticketmaster to court themselves after rallying in the wake of the 2022’s ticket woes. “For me, I don’t care how long this takes, it can take forever if it has to,” plaintiff and fan Joe Akmakjian told The A.V. Club ahead of the hearing. “I just want to make sure that people are not getting away with harming the American consumer just because they want to and they can.”

April: “The Alcott” and the big breakup

While Taylor Swift got up to her typical stealthy antics (sneaking into the Eras Tour in a faux janitor’s cart , secretly filming a music video with her ex-boyfriend, etc.), she also continued a prolific run of releasing new music by collaborating with The National on “The Alcott” from their 2023 album First Two Pages Of Frankenstein. (The National’s Aaron Dessner is the “collaborator version of a soulmate” for Swift, as she put it when he performed with her during an Eras Tour stop.) Meanwhile, The Eras Tour continued with more cities bending the knee to conquering ruler Taylor Swift.

But the biggest story in April was the end of Swift’s six-year relationship with boyfriend Joe Alwyn. Midnights had already hinted at possible cracks in the couple’s relationship, as fans would obsessively reassess in the wake of the news. And though some Swifties would parasocially mourn the end of her long-term romance, the split marked a renaissance for Swift’s public persona that would last through the rest of the year.

May: Matty Healy, Midnights (From The Vault), and a big announcement

The extent of Swiftiemania started becoming clear in May when fans sent a mysterious memoir to the top of the bestseller list completely sight unseen. (It turned out to be a memoir for BTS , not TS.) Things would only escalate as Swift had an extremely busy May, where her personal and professional accomplishments battled for dominance in the headlines. In one corner: the singer’s controversial rebound relationship with The 1975’s Matty Healy , which sent some Swifties into a tailspin. In the other corner: Midnights (From The Vault) , which added to and in some ways refashioned the Midnights narrative, in addition to spawning a new collaboration with up-and-coming rapper Ice Spice on the “Karma” remix . (As it happens, Healy’s biggest scandal at the time had to do with racialized insults against Ice Spice on a podcast.) Then there was the announcement of the next re-recording, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) , which was destined to take the world by storm.

June: Hype for Taylor’s Version—and Richie’s Version

In June, Swift’s short-lived relationship with Healy reportedly came to an end , but her pervasive cultural impact obviously did not. Anticipation for Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) continued to grow as the pop star announced new “From The Vault” tracks that included collaborations with Fall Out Boy and Eras Tour opener Hayley Williams of Paramore. Ahead of revisiting the Speak Now era, Swift attempted to temper Swifties’ bloodlust towards old boyfriends, especially given that fans had already put a target on the back of John Mayer , one of the presumed muses of that album. “I was hoping to ask you that as we lead up to this album coming out, I would love for that kindness and that gentleness to extend onto our internet activities. Right?” she said during her Minneapolis tour stop. Swift then added, “I’m 33 years old. I don’t care about anything that happened to me when I was 19, except the songs I wrote and the memories we made together.”

Meanwhile, this month saw one of many celebrated on-screen Swift moments: The Bear’s big “Love Story” scene in a fan-favorite episode that followed Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach). Other shows that would capitalize on Swiftiemania in 2023 include The Summer I Turned Pretty and The Buccaneers .

July: Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)

The release of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) was July’s biggest occurrence in Swiftiedom, if not the world over. The re-recording experiment continued to give Swift a chance not only to own her work, but in some cases to rewrite history (like changing a problematic slut-shaming lyric in “Better Than Revenge”). But the new “From The Vault” tracks showed how consistent Swift’s favorite themes and motifs have been for over a decade now, particularly when it comes to her own reputation . The album release obviously brought on a slew of additional broken records, some of them genuinely monumental (her 12th number one album made her the female artist with the most number ones in history) and others completely obscure (she became “the only act with nine different albums to sell at least a half-million copies in a single week”). The reclaimed era was punctuated by another Swift-directed music video about reclaiming her Eras: the “I Can See You” video notably stars her ex-boyfriend Taylor Lautner, subject of the Speak Now track “Back To December,” and Joey King and Presley Cash, stars of the “Mean” music video.

For those keeping track, July saw yet more Ticketmaster issues as Eras Tour tickets went on sale in Europe. Meanwhile, the U.S. leg of the Eras Tour continued to be the biggest event of the summer —a literal seismic occurrence. One notable attendee this month was Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce , who later lamented a missed opportunity to give Swift a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it. Luckily, he later found a way to get in touch with her ...

August: More announcements, more nominations, more and broken records

“August” is now another concept that belongs to Taylor Swift , with her song of the same name growing even more in popularity ever since its release in 2020 on the folklore album. She further staked her claim by having another huge month professionally, bringing the Eras Tour to Los Angeles (and getting a lot of credit for treating her employees to big bonuses along the way). Her impact was so profound that local politicians were imploring her to postpone her shows in solidarity with the hotel workers’ strike.

Though Swift didn’t end up postponing, she did make headlines for announcing another re-recording , 1989 (Taylor’s Version) . Fitting, because Swift’s increased levels of publicity and fame began to mirror that classic era wherein she first broke into pop music, though to even more extreme degrees of magnitude . She topped the list of nominees for the VMAs and announced Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour in partnership with AMC , a concert event that quickly smashed first-day advanced sales records and had other films so scared they shifted their premiere dates just to get out of the way.

And as an August post-script, Swift’s enemies continued to suffer as a flock of Scooter Braun clients reportedly parted ways with the infamous manager . Swift would refer to this as “trash taking itself out.”

September: VMAs, Vault Tracks, and the Travis Kelce Era

In September, Taylor Swift expectedly swept the VMAs with nine wins (more than any other artist at the 2023 ceremony ). After enjoying some classic awards show shenanigans (girl loves to dance), she went on to do some next-level promo by taking over all of Google and getting Swifties all over the world involved in cracking the 1989 “Vault.” This led to the unveiling of a “From The Vault” tracklist that Swift claimed was her favorite of all the re-releases, including intriguing titles like “Suburban Legends” and “Slut!”

But what most excited Swifties this month was the singer stepping out with football player Travis Kelce , who had previously expressed an interest in her on his podcast. Apparently, shooting your shot pays off. And Swift showing up to watch him play payed off for both of them, as the NFL provided Eras Tour concert film promo and her presence provided promotional opportunity for pretty much everything else, including, bizarrely, “ ketchup and seemingly ranch ,” a meme that took on an entire life of its own. The relationship was instantly a cultural sensation, and even Kelce’s mother later commented on how beneficial it was for people to cash in on the overwhelming coverage .

October: Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, 1989 (Taylor’s Version), and another #1

While Swift’s newfound football fandom continued to make headlines, anticipation for Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour concert film manifested in more than $100 million in advance ticket sales . The film ended up releasing early and had a star-studded premiere that included an appearance by Swift’s only rival for Queen of Summer 2023, Beyoncé , whose own concert film would follow in Swift’s footsteps two months later by releasing directly through AMC. Swift’s film was a critical and commercial success , as is Swift’s wont.

But Taylor Swift is never one to rest on her laurels, so she continued to work extra hard throughout the month, putting in appearances at Saturday Night Live and making a last push to put “Cruel Summer” —a song that was released three years earlier as a mere album cut—at the top of the charts. (Unsurprisingly, she succeeded .) As if that wasn’t enough, October also saw the release of 1989 (Taylor’s Version) , exactly nine years after the release of the original 1989 . And, by the way, she became a billionaire to boot.

November: Grammy nominations and monster sales

Taylor Swift ushered in November by tidily surpassing the original 1989 sales with 1989 (Taylor’s Version). She easily picked up six Grammy nominations , and now has the most-ever nominations in the Song of the Year category (thanks, “Anti-Hero”!). Should Midnights take home Album of the Year, she’ll become the first artist in history to win the award four times. Swift celebrated these milestones by taking the Eras Tour to South America, where she became quite literally as big as Jesus . Tragically, her Brazilian tour stop was overshadowed by the death of a fan as local Swifties (and the performer herself) complained of extreme conditions in the stadium caused by a severe heatwave.

Nevertheless, the Swift train kept on moving. An extended Eras Tour concert film was announced, and the Grammy nominee closed out the month by attending the Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé premiere in London.

December: Happy birthday to Time Person of the Year Taylor Swift!

As a birthday present—and, frankly, an accurate read of culture writ large—Taylor Swift was named Time’s Person of the Year for 2023 in December. The resulting profile was not only a victory lap but another opportunity for Swift to rewrite her own narrative to suit her current purposes, whether in terms of her love life or her previous experiences with “cancelation.”

I had the time of my life fighting dragons with youuuu 🫶 Celebrate 34 with me by watching The Eras Tour (Extended Version) including “Long Live” 🐉 “The Archer” 🏹 and “Wildest Dreams” 🩵 at home! PS troll me all you want about my excessive and literal millennial emoji use but… pic.twitter.com/NPny3rJlav — Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) December 13, 2023

As an added bonus, The Eras Tour (Extended Version) hit SVOD, capping off a year of win after win that frankly shows no sign of slowing in 2024. Swift celebrated by sharing concert footage of the Speak Now track “Long Live”—as in, long live the queen.

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‘This Is Extraordinary’: Why the Eras Tour Is Taylor Swift’s Greatest Live Triumph Yet

By Rob Sheffield

Rob Sheffield

“Jersey, welcome to the Eras Tour!” Taylor Swift yelled on Friday night. “There is one thing that I daydream about with the childlike enthusiasm of a hundred birthday parties, and that is MetLife Stadium Night 1.” That gets the mood about right. She spent this weekend at her long-awaited MetLife Stadium shows in New Jersey destroying the hearts and lungs of 83,000 of the planet’s most godforsaken messes. All three shows were chaotic jubilation, full of songs we’ve waited years to sing. And Taylor missed this more than any of us. 

This weekend I spent three consecutive nights at these shows, singing and weeping and suffering and agonizing through an emotional epic Tay-pocalypse every night. But it feels brutal that it’s over so soon. Nobody wanted it to stop. Not even Taylor, who paused on Sunday night at her piano during “Champagne Problems” to rave, “If you think I’m just coasting along thinking this is normal, I can assure you this is not the case. This is extraordinary.”

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The communal vibe is always intense at a Swift show, but never more than at this one. I was in the Night 1 parking lot about 10 minutes before someone I’d never met gave me a BETTY’S CARDIGAN friendship bracelet that I’m still wearing right now. I brought extra packs of pocket tissues, which came in handy when the Fearless interlude inspired a few meltdowns in my row Sunday night. When Taylor began the Evermore section into “Tis the Damn Season,” the security guy came over and said, “You the guy with the tissues?” Another couple of fans were having tear-duct emergencies, sobbing to me, “I really love this album!” ONLY at a Taylor show. 

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Over the show, she celebrates every part of her career, except her 2006 country debut, which surprisingly doesn’t even make a token appearance, though she’s done some of the songs as acoustic one-offs. (There’s no other career where such a great debut could turn out to be Not Era Enough.) Some of the eras turned into full-blown dance parties, like 1989 , Reputation , and Midnights . Fearless was the one era where she flashed her early twangy side — she made such a statement by stepping out on the catwalk after the first verse for a triumphant power twirl. It was pandemonium when she introduced “You Belong With Me” and “Love Story” by asking, “Jersey, are you ready to go back to high school with me?” 

By the time she got to the Folklore era, it was already a few hours into the show, but her emotional brutality never let up — honestly, the worst thing that she ever did was what she did to us. She sang “The One” on the roof of a mossy cottage — the line that blows up into a real audience screamer is “You meet some woman on the internet and taaaaake her hooome .” She did just the peak of “Illicit Affairs,” the “don’t call me kid” chant — a song about sordid meetings in parking lots hit hard coming an hour after “Fearless,” a very different song about a couple in a parking lot, but maybe the same girl a few years down the line. So many of the songs felt extra cathartic live, since virtually all of us in the crowd learned to sing these songs in a moment of extreme solitude and isolation. She did “Betty,” “Cardigan,” “My Tears Ricochet,” and the unstoppable “August,” pouncing on that final “get in the car!” Also, it wouldn’t be Tay’s style to forget that MetLife Stadium is literally behind a mall .

She slips acoustic surprise songs into the set list every night, one on guitar and one alone with her piano. On Friday night, she did “Getaway Car” (with Jersey boy Jack Antonoff) and “Maroon.” On Saturday, it was a pair of New York love songs, “Holy Ground” and “False God.” But the peaks were Sunday night, when she did a stripped-down “Welcome to New York,” leaning hard on the line that people chose to overlook in 2014 — “You can want who you want/Boys and boys and girls and girls.” Then she did a devastating “Clean” on piano. Her enthusiasm spilled over with quips like “You guys always give 113 per cent” or “You will get a treat for that!” Early on Friday night, she declared, “You guys are historically a great crowd. Do you think that you want to continue that tradition?” When the fans roared, she replied, “I was hoping you would say that. In case you said no, I was going to just ditch this plan completely.”

“All Too Well (Ten Minute Version)” was the coup de grace, filling up the enormous space with the sound of just Taylor and her thousands of confidantes. It couldn’t help but evoke the moment when she sang it the first time she played MetLife Stadium — 10 summers ago, in July 2013. That night, it already seemed incredibly to think of how far she’d come so fast. But 10 ears later, hearing “All Too Well” in that same venue, it seemed to sum up everywhere she’s traveled in those past 10 years. Like the rest of the Eras Tour, it was a celebration of all the holy ground she and her audience has covered.

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At one point on Sunday night, during the Midnights finale, I heard voices and thought the security guard near me was arguing with a fan. It turned out they were just trading friendship bracelets. It’s THAT kind of show. That’s the world this woman and only this woman creates, on an epic scale, night after night. There’s no experience in music like being part of that world Taylor Swift creates for a few hours. And there’s no way not to feel joyful about taking it all with you when you leave. 

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Every Set in Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, Ranked

Everyone knows by now that Taylor Swif: The Eras Tour is a phenomenal success, but which era comes out on top?

Taylor Swift 's world domination has now made its way to the movie theater. After she embarked on The Eras Tour, fans have been eagerly awaiting the chance to watch a professionally recorded version rather than seeing it through grainy live streams. What people did not anticipate, however, was that she would release the movie, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour , in theaters rather than having it go straight to streaming. This has two key benefits: getting to see it on the big screen, and having it be a communal experience. The tour has stunning visuals, costumes, and choreography, so being able to see it all up close and personal makes for a very different experience to seeing it in person.

Of all her tour movies, the fact that The Eras Tour is the one that made it onto the big screen is perfect as it encompasses her entire career so far. It's broken up into sets dedicated to each of her albums — or "eras" — so, no matter what your favorite of her music is, there's a bit of everything. Clocking in at just under three hours, the experience flies by and has endless rewatchability, so it's no wonder that the movie has been topping the charts . Here's a definitive ranking of each of the concert's sets.

In last place, with no competition, is the Red set. As one of her older albums that had its own tour, it only gets four songs here. Red is an album with some really incredible songs and some not-so-great ones, and unfortunately, Swift chose wrong. It's unlikely that there are that many people out there who would complain if "22" had been swapped out for a deeper cut like "State of Grace" or "Holy Ground." Additionally, the stage visuals for this portion of the show are nothing special, and the costumes aren't hugely exciting, so it doesn't even have that to lean back on.

With that being said, it does earn points for the performance of the 10-minute version of "All Too Well," which is a great centerpiece for the concert. The song stands as a representation of what makes her who she is as an artist, which is her ability to distill raw emotion into a story.

9 Midnights

Swift's most recent album, Midnights , is the tour's closer, and it fits well there. There are some really fun visual moments in this set, from the giant clouds in "Lavender Haze," to the dancers becoming human dominoes in "Mastermind." As her latest body of work, it makes sense to end with it, and "Karma" makes for a lot of fun as the very last song.

Similarly to Red , however, this section is let down by its songs. Out of Swift's pop music , her work on Midnights is on the more subdued end of the scale, which works well for late-night brooding, but not so much for filling a stadium. The aforementioned "Karma" and "Bejeweled" are the best moments of this section, but other than that, the other four songs are more plodding than prancing.

8 Surprise Songs

A sweet tradition that Swift has had for many years is choosing a new song, or songs, to sing at each show as a way of honoring her back catalog. While this section has landed relatively low in the ranking, it's important to note that, from here onward, everything is top-notch. Now, the surprise songs are at a slight disadvantage because of how short the set is, with only two songs. It also doesn't translate so well into the movie version because there's not much of a surprise going on.

However, where these songs shine is in being stripped back and intimate. It's astonishing to watch one person with a guitar and a piano dominate such an enormous stage. For the movie, we get the songs "Our Song" and "You're On Your Own, Kid," from Midnights. The former is a certified classic, and it's a great choice since her poor old first album isn't given its own set. The latter creates a full-circle moment as it's a retrospective look at Swift's journey through her career so far.

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7 speak now.

The Speak Now set is also hindered by its brevity. It's the only portion of the show that only has one song, which is "Enchanted." If she was only going to perform one song from the album, she chose well, but it's a huge shame that, for an album so theatrical, it only got one slot. However, if it's only got one problem, being too short is a good one to have.

Everything else about this section is perfectly done. Swift enters in a cloud of smoke, sporting one of her many giant ballgowns with a stage lit up with purple flowers. As she sings, she's joined by dancers in beautiful complementary gowns who twirl around her. This treatment is not even close to being over-the-top and is precisely what a song like "Enchanted" deserves.

Opening the show with Lover is an excellent choice; the songs are summery and high energy. Most importantly, this is where we get to hear the one and only "Cruel Summer," which (pretty much) kicks off the whole thing. Visually, this set is also stunning, with dancers sporting huge sunset colored Loie Fuller-esque wings out of which Swift bursts to begin the show.

Despite the great aspects of this portion of the show, it's also weighed down by some of Swift's lesser songs — see: "The Man." Also, she cut out her performance of "The Archer" from the movie, which was a moving moment that involved a wonderful transition from the Lover era into Fearless . So, there are a number of positives and negatives going on here, which lands this section right in the middle.

Entering into the top five, we have Fearless . This is the earliest album that gets its own set during the show, and it's full of nostalgia. Before singing her hit "You Belong With Me," Swift asks the audience, "Are you ready to go back to high school with me?", which is a startling reminder of the passage of time. With Swift spinning around in a shimmery dress and the boots to match, it's a lot of fun to lean into her country roots, for both her and the fans.

The set is only made up of three songs, so it's over all too quickly. There is truly nothing to complain about other than the fact that there are so many other songs on Fearless that would have made great additions to the show.

Arguably, the most emotional portion of the show is Evermore 's set. It features the tearjerkers "Marjorie," "Tolerate It," and "Champagne Problems." A lot of attention is given to "Champagne Problems," but a moment of recognition must also be given to "Marjorie." It's difficult to not get misty-eyed as Swift sings about her grandmother's "backlogged dreams" and then hearing her vocals echo through a stadium of such huge proportions.

A special mention must also go to the witchy and almost sinister — in the best way — performance of "Willow." Swift leaning into the theatrical nature of her songs always has incredible results. Evermore is another section without much to complain about, but the fact that she didn't perform "'Tis the damn Season" for the recording is enough to knock it down a few pegs.

In third place comes the 1989 set. With so many smash hits from this album, it was bound to be a fun performance. From "Style" to "Shake It Off," it's banger after banger, which is great for a set that comes toward the end of the show. There are really fun nods to the era itself with things like the golf club prop during "Blank Space," and her costumes being so similar to those of the 1989 tour.

1989 also suffers from some unjust cutting of songs, with "Wildest Dreams" being removed from the movie. But at least this one has been immortalized in the 1989 tour . The choices of what to cut really force you to wonder what's going on in her mind, but that's for her to know and us to find out.

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Distinguishing between the top two is incredibly difficult, but, here, we have Folklore at number two. Everything about this section of the show is just breathtaking. Swift's floaty dress gives her wings as she frolics around on the stage, and the stage design and dancers' costumes both feed into the Victorian woodland fantasy she wants to project.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the set once again suffers from having one of its best songs removed. In this case, it's "Cardigan" — why she would leave out the album's lead single is baffling, especially since the album never got its own tour. All we can do is hope it gets put back in when the movie finds its streaming home.

1 Reputation

Saving the best for last, we have Reputation in the top position. Having spoken of Swift's theatrical albums, this one takes the cake. It's just perfect for performance, with Swift really embodying the vengeful version of herself that she is portraying, and having a blast doing it. For once, every song choice is perfect: beginning with "Ready For It" is a no-brainer, and the transition from "Don't Blame Me" to "Look What You Made Me Do" is delicious.

There's no other set in the show that will get your blood pumping like this one, it's electric, energetic, and ecstatic. This is Swiftie church, and if that's not what The Eras Tour is all about, then what is?

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour is currently playing in theaters.

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How Is the Taylor Swift Eras Concert Movie Different From the Live Tour?

By Savannah Walsh

At times while watching Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour , it’s difficult to detect what separates Taylor Swift ’s concert film from her live show. Each beckon sequined Swifties to point their phones forward as they sing along to every word of the roughly 40-song set list. And both have become blockbusters —the sold-out Eras Tour nearly broke Ticketmaster , while its companion movie presold more than $100 million in tickets a week before its premiere, already passing Justin Bieber: Never Say Never as the highest-grossing concert-film debut.

But while some fans had hoped that Swift would change nothing in the transfer from stadium to screen, a few necessary changes have been made to shave the three-hour-and-15-minute concert into a still supersized two hours and 45 minutes. So where are the blank spaces, exactly?

Naturally, the costume changes have been condensed, as have intros such as the extended piano lead-in to “Tolerate It.” Others have been retained in all their symbolic glory, like the snakes that slither Swift into her Reputation era.

Five songs in total were cut from Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour: Swift’s 1989 hit “Wildest Dreams”; her performance of “No Body, No Crime” with opening act Haim; Lover ’s “The Archer”; Folklore ’s lead single, “Cardigan”; and Speak Now ’s “Long Live,” a track permanently added to the set list during Swift’s first show in Kansas City this July, which coincided with the release of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version).

I was in the audience that evening at Arrowhead Stadium, in which Swift unveiled the music video for Speak Now bonus track “I Can See You” and brought the video’s stars, Joey King and ex-boyfriend Taylor Lautner, onstage. Those Kansas City shows may also have been ground zero for her romance with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce , but there’s no trace of their budding romance in the film or any behind-the-scenes Easter eggs. 

In fact, as filmed by director Sam Wrench, all three hours are devoted to Swift and her fans alone. No celebrity guests are shown, including the musical collaborators Swift has invited to perform with her onstage, like Jack Antonoff, Aaron Dessner, and Ice Spice; and neither are Swift’s performances with any of her opening acts, which included Gracie Abrams and Phoebe Bridgers, with whom she would often sing their duet “Nothing New.”

The concert was filmed during Swift’s six-night stint at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, a suburb of Los Angeles, back in August. There were a few song switches over the course of the Eras Tour’s first leg. “No Body, No Crime” replaced Evermore track “‘Tis the Damn Season” when Haim was opening for Swift during the SoFi shows, so that song is also missing. And Folklore ’s fate-brought-us-together track, “Invisible String,” was switched out for the rueful what-could-have-been ballad “The 1” after Swift’s split from longtime boyfriend Joe Alwyn was publicized, meaning the former track has also been scrapped from the movie.

Each night on the Eras Tour, Swift would select a pair of surprise songs to play for that crowd acoustically—one on the guitar and the other on the piano. While filming the concert movie, Swift performed six different surprise songs, such as “I Can See You,” “Maroon,” “You Are in Love,” and “Death by a Thousand Cuts.” But it’s “Our Song,” from her debut 2006 album, that’s played on the guitar in the movie, and “You’re on Your Own, Kid,” from her most recent album, Midnights, that gets the film’s piano slot. The latter song is also the one whose lyrics inspired Swifties ( and Kelce ) to make friendship bracelets for the tour. 

Rest assured: Those looking to trade bracelets at their screenings are still likely to find a beaded accessory or two. And the fan anthem “Long Live” also plays over the end credits, in all its glory.

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8 Ways The Eras Tour Movie Is Better Than Taylor Swift’s Previous Concert Films

• The Eras Tour movie contains songs from every album Taylor Swift has released thus far, which is not the case for all of her previous concert films at the time.
• With 48 songs and 14 costume changes, The Eras Tour movie outshines her previous concert films in terms of content and production.
• The Eras Tour movie received a theatrical, VOD, and Disney+ release, ensuring fans didn't miss out on this epic concert experience, while all but one of her other concert films aren't even available on streaming anymore.

Out of all the eponymous pop star's concert films, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour is by far her best. Released in theaters on October 13, 2023, The Eras Tour movie brought the larger-than-life titular tour to the big screen , which showcases every era of Taylor Swift's long-spanning music career. After The Eras Tour movie broke multiple box office records , it was made available via VOD that December, followed by an exclusive release on Disney+ titled Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version) the following March. The Eras Tour movie also broke a Disney+ streaming record , proving Swift is unstoppable.

Although The Eras Tour movie has been Swift's most successful concert film by a long shot , it's certainly not her first. Prior to Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour , Swift had released a corresponding concert movie, series, or special for every era except her self-titled debut album and her fourth studio album, Red . Some of these, like Journey to Fearless and 1989 World Tour Live , also contained documentary components and behind-the-scenes footage. While The Eras Tour movie is strictly a performance film, there are many elements that make it far superior to her past releases.

Taylor Swift's 8 Documentaries & Concert Movies, Ranked (Including Eras Tour)

The eras tour movie is way longer than taylor swift's other concert films, the eras tour movie (taylor's version) on disney+ is over three-and-a-half hours long.

Even though the theatrical release of The Eras Tour movie cut down the show's regular set list to shorten the runtime, it still came in at two hours and 49 minutes, which is at least half an hour longer than any of her other concert films. The runtime went up to three hours when three of the previously cut songs were added to the VOD release as bonus features. With the inclusion of one more cut song and four bonus songs, The Eras Tour (Taylor's Version) on Disney+ is over three-and-a-half hours , the average time of the live show.

In comparison, all three episodes of Journey to Fearless, a concert docuseries chronicling Swift's Fearless Tour, are 43 minutes each, making for a total of two hours and nine minutes. Speak Now World Tour - Live was released as a live album CD and a visual album on DVD, with the latter coming out to two hours and 19 minutes.

The Eras Tour movie's increasingly lengthier runtime gives Swifties at least 50% more time with their favorite artist than her other concert films.

The 1989 World Tour Live is also just over two hours long, with Reputation Stadium Tour coming in at only five minutes over the two-hour mark. Swift's shortest concert movie is City of Lover, a one-time concert filmed in Paris to promote Lover that aired as a one-hour TV special.

Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions, Swift's most recent concert movie prior to The Eras Tour which featured performances and backstories of every song on the Folklore album, is one hour and 46 minutes long. These are all respectable lengths, but The Eras Tour movie's increasingly lengthier runtime gives Swifties at least 50% more time with their favorite artist than her other concert films.

The Eras Tour Movie Has Way More Songs Than Taylor Swift's Other Concert Films

The eras tour movie (taylor's version) on disney+ contains 48 songs total.

Originally, The Eras Tour movie only contained 40 songs, after cutting five songs from the show's regular set list. The bonus features on the VOD release brought the running total to 43, and the addition of five more tracks on top of that made for a grand total of 48 songs in Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor's Version) on Disney+. This is more than double the number of songs in Swift's other concert movies , and in some cases, even triple.

Journey to Fearless has less than a third of the songs in Disney+'s extended cut of T he Eras Tour, with only 13 performances featured in the docuseries. Even Reputation Stadium Tour 's 25 songs is still only a little more than half of The Eras Tour 's total count. When it comes to Swift's endless catalogue, the more the merrier , making The Eras Tour movie superior.

The Eras Tour Movie Contains Songs From All Of Her Eras (So Far)

Not all of taylor swift's concert movies have songs from all of her albums at the time.

As a celebration of the many eras of Swift's career, The Eras Tour movie features songs from all her albums. While some eras, like Folklore and Midnights, get more love than others, like Speak Now, the only album without a designated era on the permanent set list is her self-titled debut . However, Swift made sure to include her performance of "Our Song" from her debut album as one of the surprise songs in the acoustic set of The Eras Tour movie. As such, there are songs from every era of her career so far in The Eras Tour movie.

The Speak Now era on The Eras Tour originally consisted of just one song, "Enchanted," before Swift added "Long Live" to the set list after the release of Speak Now (Taylor's Version) on July 7, 2023. Her performance of "Long Live" was cut from The Eras Tour movie in theaters but added back in as a bonus feature on the VOD release and then back into the Speak Now era on streaming.

Of course, none of her other concert films could have included songs from all 10 of her eras thus far, since they hadn't all happened yet. Before embarking on The Eras Tour in March 2023, Swift had released a whopping four albums— Lover, Folklore, Evermore, and Midnights —since she last toured with Reputation in 2018, hence why she opted to do a career-spanning show. However, not every concert film of hers contains songs from all her albums in existence at the time.

With only two albums to choose from, Journey to Fearless is in the clear, and Speak Now World Tour - Live just barely skates by with "Our Song" from debut on the set list. However, The 1989 World Tour Live does not feature any songs from debut or Speak Now , and only features "Love Story" from Fearless. Reputation Stadium Tour also barely acknowledges her first album, with Swift performing a mashup of "Should've Said No" from debut with "Bad Blood" from 1989 .

If fans want to watch a concert movie that features every era, genre, and vibe of Swift's music, they'll put on The Eras Tour.

City of Lover was only an hour-long special performance, so it would've been difficult to include a song from every album. However, Swift once again sidelined her debut and Speak Now eras completely, and only performed "Love Story" from Fearless and "Delicate" from Reputation.

The worst culprit is Folklore: Long Pond Studio Sessions , which only contains performances of songs from Fo lklore. Of course, this was the point, but if fans want to watch a concert movie that features every era, genre, and vibe of Swift's music, they'll put on The Eras Tour, not the Long Pond Studio Sessions.

Why Taylor Swift Almost Completely Ignores Her Debut Album On The Eras Tour (Despite The Title)

The eras tour movie was released in theaters & on streaming, none of taylor swift's other concert films were given theatrical releases.

It's not just the content of The Eras Tour movie that ranks it above Swift's other concert films. The rest have either been released on DVD/Blu-ray or exclusively on streaming platforms. The 1989 World Tour Live was released exclusively on Apple Music on December 20, 2015, followed by Reputation Stadium Tour on Netflix on December 31, 2018. The day after airing on ABC, City of Lover was available to stream on Hulu and Disney+ on May 16, 2020. Six months later, Folklore: Long Pond Studio was released on Disney+ on November 25, 2020.

Following this theatrical release with VOD and streaming releases ensured that no Swiftie would have to miss out on seeing The Eras Tour movie, no matter the medium.

However, The Eras Tour movie had a much more extensive release rollout that built up hype and guaranteed longevity. T he Eras Tour movie received a three-month theatrical run , during which it was available to rent on demand, before hitting Disney+ two months later.

Releasing The Eras Tour movie in theaters allowed fans to relive the Eras Tour on the big screen and gave those who were unable to attend the show live the opportunity to experience the concert in a crowd setting. Following this theatrical release with VOD and streaming releases ensured that no Swiftie had to miss out on seeing The Eras Tour movie , no matter the medium.

9 Ways Watching Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour On Disney+ Will Be Different From Theaters

The eras tour movie has multiple extended cuts, there are three different versions of the eras tour movie.

Not only was The Eras Tour movie released in theaters, via VOD, and on streaming, but all three versions of The Eras Tour movie were different (and just kept getting better) . Both the VOD release and Taylor's Version on Disney+ are different extended cuts of the movie that offer more than the theatrical release. The VOD version included "The Archer," "Long Live," and "Wildest Dreams," all previously cut set list songs from the theatrical version, as bonus features.

The Eras Tour on Disney+ preserved these restorations and also added "Cardigan" back, leaving only two songs still missing from The Eras Tour (Taylor's Version) movie . Instead of these set list songs appearing at the end of the movie as bonus features, though, they were edited into the right placements in their respective eras to match the order Swift performs them on tour.

8 Biggest Differences Between The Eras Tours Theatrical & Disney+ Streaming Versions

Also included in the Disney+ extended cut were the four remaining surprise songs from her acoustic sets at the L.A. shows filmed for The Eras Tour movie . These four songs--"I Can See You," "Death by a Thousand Cuts," "You Are In Love," and "Maroon"--were featured in a new section called "The Acoustic Collection," in which Swift's performances of "Our Song" and "You're On Your Own, Kid" from the movie's acoustic set were played again .

None of Swift's other concert movies have multiple extended cuts like The Eras Tour movie. Only Speak Now World Tour - Live released a special edition of the DVD at Target, which included three bonus songs and BTS footage. Every other concert film of Swift's has only been released as is, which isn't inherently a bad thing, but it gives The Eras Tour an edge over the rest.

The Eras Tour Movie Is Still Available To Watch On Streaming

Folklore: the long pond sessions is the only other concert film of swift's still available to stream online.

Another advantage of The Eras Tour movie over almost all of Swift's previous concert films is its current viewing availability. Given that they were produced before the streaming boom, neither Journey to Fearless nor Speak Now World Tour - Live was ever released on nor added to streaming anywhere, but all of Swift's newer concert films were once available to watch on different streaming platforms.

Sadly, only Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions can still be found anywhere on streaming . This was Swift's first exclusive Disney+ release back in 2020 and shows no signs of leaving the platform. 1989 World Tour Live was removed from Apple Music on May 22, 2020, four-and-a-half years after it was first released. Reputation Stadium Tour followed a similar timeline by leaving Netflix on December 30, 2023, one day shy of five years since it dropped.

Only a few weeks after it aired on ABC and was subsequently released on streaming on May 16, 2020, the City of Lover TV special was promptly removed from both Hulu and Disney+. Thankfully, The Eras Tour movie will likely have a permanent home on Disney+ given the viewership it's attracted, so it can be streamed without fear of removal for hopefully decades to come.

The Editing On The Eras Tour Movie Was Superior To Taylor Swift's Other Concert Films

The 1989 world tour live suffered the most when it came to editing.

One of the underrated elements of The Eras Tour that makes it superior to at least one of her other concert films is the production, specifically the editing. This is a major detail that viewers may not take notice of when watching The Eras Tour movie on its own, but the quality of the editing becomes very apparent when compared to The 1989 World Tour Live film in particular. There have long been complaints from Swifties about the baffling editing decisions in this movie, which include random, inexplicable close-ups on non-focal points and whiplash-inducing cuts.

The editing on The Eras Tour movie is a huge improvement from The 1989 World Tour Live.

In comparison, The Eras Tour movie was edited so seamlessly and expertly, it looks effortless. Different angles and vicinities of the stage, crowd, and venue are shown throughout, focusing on Swift while still properly showcasing her talented performers on The Eras Tour , which include her backup dancers, backing vocalists, and band members. Overall, the editing on The Eras Tour movie is a huge improvement from The 1989 World Tour Live.

The Eras Tour Movie Has More Costume Changes Than Taylor Swift's Other Concert Films

Swift has a total of 14 costume changes in the eras tour movie.

Because she took fans through (almost) every era of her career on The Eras Tour, Swift had to have an era-specific costume for each new set that captured the vibe and aesthetic of the corresponding album. During the sets for Lover, Red and Midnights, Swift even changes her outfit onstage by adding and removing certain garments. There are also different versions of almost every outfit except the Reputation jumpsuit that she alternates every show.

Of course, she could only wear one version of each era-specific outfit while filming The Eras Tour movie for the sake of continuity, but she still chose some of the best ones to appear in the film. In total, Swift wears 14 different outfits in The Eras Tour movie , which is significantly more costume changes for her performances onstage in her other concert films. There's also a greater variety in costumes in Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, as they each fit a different era as opposed to just the one at hand.

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour is a film rendition of the colossal worldwide event that sees the legendary pop star hit the stage in a specially curated film event. Performing the hits of her over seventeen-year career in music, The Eras Tour highlights Taylor Swift and her team as they put on a show of a lifetime.

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9 Things Other Artists Can Learn From Taylor Swift’s Blockbuster Eras Tour

The singer-songwriter's career-spanning trek set a new playbook for superstar tours.

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Taylor Swift ‘s Eras Tour has little precedent in the history of live entertainment, with the trek’s recent 52-date run in the United States capturing daily headlines and vaulting the singer-songwriter/marketing savant to an even higher peak of superstardom (and, according to Bloomberg , billionaire status ). Since launching on March 17 in Glendale, Ariz., the blockbuster trek set new benchmarks for superstar concert tours and looks on track to top $1 billion in ticket sales by the time it wraps — which would best the $939 million record set by Elton John this past July.

So what can other artists learn from Swift’s historic run? To be clear, none of her peers enjoy the same level of cultural cachet, not even Beyoncé — a trailblazer and powerhouse in her own right whose Renaissance world tour grossed nearly $580 million and sold 2.8 million tickets across 56 shows in North America and Europe this year. That’s because Swift is a rarity in the pop music landscape — not only a deeply talented songwriter and performer but a master marketer with an uncanny knack for making each one of her millions of fans feel seen and appreciated.

9 Ways Taylor Swift Has Changed the Music Business

With the Eras Tour set to resume on Nov. 9 in Buenos Aires, we’re taking a look at how Swift has changed the live-music game — and what other stars can take away from the savvy tactics employed to generate maximum exposure for Swift’s record-setting run of dates. From integrating surprise songs to setting a flexible touring schedule to dropping bombshell announcements into her shows, here are nine things other artists can learn from the megastar as she prepares to embark on round 2.

Build Flexibility Into Your Touring Schedule

Most tours are routed with one goal in mind: get from the first show on the tour to the last show on the tour as fast as possible, without experiencing any major hiccups or crises on the road. While that strategy allows artists to spend minimal time away from loved ones, it leaves artists few options to pick up more shows when demand exceeds expectations. When Swift first announced the routing for the Eras Tour in November 2022, each stop was scheduled on a weekend in a different city. Not only did her massive production need this much time to load and unload her gigantic show, but it also gave her the flexibility she needed to add shows on weekdays for fans who missed out on tickets when they first went on sale. The strategy allowed Swift to grow her initial 27-date announcement to 52 shows total, nearly doubling the number of fans who could see her on the historic tour. – Dave Brooks

Trust That the Fans Will Travel To See You

The massive Eras Tour can’t turn on a dime — it takes multiple days and teams of crew members to set up and take down the production in each city it visits. For many Swift fans, that means traveling to a major market hub, with some having to drive hundreds of miles to catch one of her shows. It can be a bit terrifying for an artist — even one as famous as Swift — to put tickets on sale knowing fans will have to travel long distances to attend her concerts, but asking them to commute allows for higher production values and more time spent on crafting mesmerizing sets rather than constantly moving from city to city. This also gives fans a better overall experience at the show, leading to the kind of strong word-of-mouth that allowed the Eras Tour to build up a full head of steam throughout its North American run. – D.B.

If You Have a Deep Discography, Lean Into It 

Artists of Swift’s size most often go one of three ways with their tour setlists: They either stack them with classic hits and long-proven crowd-pleasers, they put their most recent material front and center, or they toggle awkwardly between old and new. Swift’s innovation with her Eras Tour concept is to treat every (well, nearly every) part of her career with equal (well, almost equal) weight: Not to just load up on Fearless and 1989 smashes or Folklore and Midnights fan favorites, but to essentially recreate her entire career onstage — and bring fans along for the journey.

Again, this isn’t something that an artist with just a handful of albums or hits to their credit could easily emulate. But for artists of a certain size, stature and (most importantly) longevity, going the Eras route is now a proven way to allow fans to not only remember the songs they love but to truly relive them, one album at a time. And for a now-generation-spanning artist like Swift, it offers the extra bonus of making sure fans who weren’t along for the whole ride still feel catered to. Pre-teens in attendance can scream along to “Anti-Hero” and “Cruel Summer” while their older siblings (or parents) wait patiently for their turn to do the same with “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me.” – Andrew Unterberger

Orchestrate Viral Moments To Keep Your Tour In the Headlines

Even non-fans were doubtless bombarded by news of Swift’s tour stops across the United States earlier this year, given that every last one of them seemed to generate a fresh wave of headlines. Part of the reason for this was Swift and her team’s savvy way of engineering viral moments at each performance. These included recurring bits — including Swift giving her “22” fedora to a young fan at every stop (including Bianka Bryant, daughter of the late Kobe Bryant, as well as Selena Gomez ‘s sister, Gracie) and adding two new surprise songs to the setlist every night (more on that below). Swift also sprinkled bigger one-off moments throughout, including special guest appearances from stars like Ice Spice , Maren Morris and Taylor Lautner (to premiere the music video for her Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) track “I Can See You”) and shriek-inducing reveals of the release dates for her re-recorded Speak Now and 1989 albums. While few stars can command headlines the way Swift does, other high-profile artists would do well to study her strategy of keeping the Eras Tour in the news cycle. – Chris Eggertsen

Change Up the Setlist to Make Each Show Feel Unique

Swift proved just how much of a “mastermind” she really is while planning her Eras Tour. One of the best examples is the genius inclusion of two surprise songs each and every night — one performed acoustically on guitar and the other on piano. The benefits of this are plentiful. Despite devouring footage on social media, fans can show up at each show with the guarantee that they will see and hear something new, something included  just   for them . Additionally, with each passing night, fans could also update the list of what songs were left, creating a guessing game between each show. And finally, there are the headlines. There’s no better way to guarantee that every show will make news than by doing something new for each one. Considering the endurance needed for her Eras Tour, for which each set typically lasts three hours, the fact that Swift decided to further challenge herself was no easy feat. But hopefully, the deafening screams in support of each surprise song — and the online virality of each clip — was a decent reward.  – Lyndsey Havens

Create Merch That Can Only Be Purchased In-Person at Shows 

There’s nothing better than show-specific merch. Sure, it creates a sense of urgency that results in incredibly long lines at the venue. But, much like the friendship bracelet frenzy that has become a key part of Swift’s shows, owning a piece of merch that could only have been purchased at a specific show helps foster the communal aspect that has made the Eras Tour so much fun to dissect. Plus, at the end of the day, who doesn’t love to say: “I was there.” In this case, the merch does the talking.  – L.H.

Don't Be Afraid to Put On a Long Show 

Taylor Swift performs onstage at the “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” at SoFi Stadium on August 7, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.

Michael Buckner for Variety

Most artists still not even old enough to run for president would blanch at the idea of performing (or expecting fans to sit through) a setlist with a runtime nearly as long as Lawrence of Arabia . But Swift correctly gauged that after a near-half-decade absence from touring — and with four entirely new albums and four major re-recordings to draw from since her last global trek — appetite for her live experience was high enough that going the double-VHS duration would not only be tolerated, but celebrated, by her rabid fanbase.

It’s not something that every artist could get away with, of course: Many touring artists, big ones included, don’t even have catalogs that could last three and a half hours if you stacked them front to back. But if you’re already playing stadiums — and particularly if you’re charging the kind of prices that could otherwise be spent on week-long vacations — you may as well make sure fans leave feeling they got their money’s worth. And chances are, you’re not gonna see many folks leaving their Eras Tour date early to try to beat the traffic. – A.U.

Be Generous With the Crew

While they say there’s no such thing as bad press, good press is undeniable — and for Swift, her acts of kindness often result in  great  press. Though she made news for the generous $100,000 bonuses she gave to each one of the 50 Eras Tour truck drivers, in addition to bonuses for her band, dancers, caterers, lighting and sound technicians, and other crew members, it’s been said that the superstar has always looked out for her team. However, the eye-opening $5 million sum for her drivers alone could help set a precedent that caring for your own should always be a priority — within the limits of one’s own budget, of course.  – L.H.

Planning To Release a Concert Film? Consider a Non-Traditional Distribution Model

Probably no other artist alive could pull off the kind of blockbuster opening that Swift managed with her Eras Tour concert film, which debuted to a jaw-dropping $92.8 million on its debut weekend last month and has grossed a total of $166 million in North American theaters to date. And due to a savvy distribution deal Swift’s parents reportedly struck with AMC Theatres — after talks with several Hollywood studios reportedly broke down — Swift will receive an unprecedented cut of the film’s profits. It’s the kind of deal that could well shake up the concert film model, leading other music stars to go around the middle man (a.k.a. traditional studios and distributors) for their own concert films and keep a greater percentage of their earnings as a result. Clearly, Swift isn’t content to blaze new trails in music alone; she’s now shaking up the movie business as well. – C.E.

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Taylor Swift announces ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ at Eras Tour show in Los Angeles

Taylor Swift performs during “The Eras Tour,” Monday, Aug. 7, 2023, at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Taylor Swift performs at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. Friday, July 28, 2023. (Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

A stage technician walks past a video screen featuring images of Taylor Swift before her performance, Monday, Aug. 7, 2023, at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Taylor Swift closed the 2023 U.S. leg of her landmark Eras Tour Wednesday night in Los Angeles in a big way, announcing the fourth edition of her re-recording project: “1989 (Taylor’s Version).”

After playing a few tracks from her “1989” era live, including an abridged take on “Bad Blood,” the pop superstar approached the center of the stage with an acoustic guitar in hand and suggested to the audience that she had been working on something big.

“Instead of just, like, telling you about it, I think I’ll just sort of show you,” she told the crowd as the screen illuminated behind her. “‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ available Oct. 27!” she cheered, pointing out that she was revealing this on the eighth month of the year and the ninth day — a numerical clue.

Then she launched into a surprise performance of the ascendant “1989” track “New Romantics” and the “Reputation”-era piano ballad “New Year’s Day” for the first time during her world tour.

Just last month, Swift released her re-recording of “Speak Now” and soon claimed the record for the woman with the most No. 1 albums in history. The “Taylor’s Version” projects were sparked by music manager Scooter Braun’s purchase and subsequent sale of her early catalog.

Beyond the breaking news, across more than three-and-a-half hours at SoFi Stadium, Swift offered fans a bevy of career-spanning tracks — less a greatest hits collection, and more a live celebration of an artist in her veterancy.

Choreographed easter eggs were frequent. Swift would mimic dance moves from her iconic music videos and crack jokes about her feelings and “women-splaining to men how to apologize to women.”

Openers — and “besties,” as Swift described them — HAIM joined her on stage for the “evermore” cut “no body, no crime.”

Across more than 40 tracks reflecting 17 years of recorded music, it was as if the ground shook with the rapturous sound of 70,000 fans scream-singing along to her hits and deep cuts alike. This was Taylor Swift’s house — filled with fans in light Taylor Swift cosplay (pink dresses for her 2019 album “Lover,” black leather and snakeskin prints for 2017’s “Reputation,” sequins and A-line skirts for 2014’s “1989,” and so on).

Before launching into her “1989” era tracks, Swift performed an emotive single from her “folkore” album, “cardigan.” “When you are young, they assume you know nothing,” she sang, contorting the line in the third verse, “I knew everything when I was young.”

For a performance predicated on returning to the past as well as celebrating the present, it felt like a mission statement. Throughout her career and her many sonic experiments, Swift has been a keen observer of human condition and heartbreak. Even in those early songs about fantasies and fairytales, she demonstrates a kind of pragmatic wisdom. It is why a song she wrote when she was 16 can elicit the same sort of response as one written in her 30s.

And in a summer stacked with superstar tours celebrating giant new releases — like the larger-than-life experiences of Beyoncé's “Renaissance” World Tour and Drake’s 56-date “It Was All a Blur” tour — Taylor Swift’s lookback Eras Tour stands proudly among them.

For fans who desire their beloved artist play the hits — she certainly delivered.

Taylor Swift Eras Tour Setlist: 13 Best Moments from Her Opening Night Concert

By P. Claire Dodson

The Taylor Swift Eras Tour: a theatrical, emotional, intense feat of performance that clocked in at over three hours — with 45 songs total, including a poetic reading of the song “Seven” — much to the pleasure of Swifties, who last saw her perform a live tour four albums ago.

Taylor officially kicked off the Eras Tour with an opening night in Glendale, Arizona , on March 17 to a crowd of nearly 70,000 fans who had no idea what she would do next.  It was also an especially Nashville kind of night, with openers Paramore and GAYLE hailing from the city. 

As Taylor welcomed everyone to the tour, she introduced the format: we'd be going on an adventure through Taylor's discography, era by era. The album order? Lover , Fearless, evermore , reputation, Speak Now, Red, folklore , 1989 , an acoustic set reminiscent of her debut, and finally, Midnights . Iconic.

Throughout the evening, Taylor played both hits and deep cuts, alluding to fandom inside jokes and overall showing how comfortable and happy she looks on stage. Three-plus hours of some of Taylor Swift's best work can be summed up in a quote from the singer-songwriter herself: “I don't know how to process how you all are making me feel right now.”

Whether you have tickets for future dates or would like to live vicariously through social media, check out our 13 favorite moments from night one of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour.

Cirque du Lover Fest

Just before 8 p.m., a countdown clock set to Lesley Gore's “You Don't Own Me” appeared on the massive screen at State Farm Stadium. The seconds trickled down, and then… an opening door, and dancers emerged carrying massive colorful wings — a la Loïe Fuller — to a montage of Taylor audio clips from various eras. The effect was theatrical, bright as she rose from the middle of the wings to a surprising first song: “Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince.” This one was for the girls with Lover Fest tickets.

A Little Bicep Kiss, as a Treat

Taylor was fully feeling herself minutes into the Eras Tour setlist, and nowhere was this more obvious than in her build-up to “The Man.” Transitioning from sparkly bodysuit to sparkly power blazer, she said, “You guys are making me feel powerful." She flexed her arm like Rosie the Riveter, hammering home the point with a deranged little kiss to her bicep. She finished with a flourish, ”I guess what I'm trying to say is you're making me feel like the man."

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An evermore Joke Reference

Lest you forget Taylor Swift sees all, she explicitly referenced an ongoing fan theory/inside joke about her album evermore, in the middle of performing that era. Since evermore came out as folklore 's sister record, fans noticed what they saw as a pattern of her not acknowledging the album as much as its predecessor. Taylor assured fans, however, that evermore still holds a special place in her heart.

“We are in the middle of the evermore album,” she said at the mossy piano. "It’s an album I absolutely love, despite what some of you say on TikTok. I’ve seen it, I’ve seen all of it.”

By Njera Perkins

By Liv McConnell

A Moving Performance of “Marjorie"

If there's one song I didn't expect to hear in the Eras Tour setlist, it's “Marjorie,” one of the best examples of her songwriting to date. It's an emotive homage to her late grandmother, a song that feels close and intimate, almost too much to be performed in a stadium. But Taylor, wearing a long yellow dress, performed it with a glassy-eyed vulnerability that drew the crowd in to grieve together. To compound the moment, she followed “Marjorie” with fan-favorite “Champagne Problems” at the piano.

TikTok content

Give “tolerate it” a broadway show.

Taylor Swift went full theatre kid on “Tolerate It," whose set featured a long wooden table set with various fancy vases and tableware, with her dancer at the end playing her fraught love interest. As the verses mounted, Taylor climbed atop the table, smashing glass and tearing shit up. The drama!

The Old Taylors in Glass Closets

Reputation really is that album, and Taylor took us right back to The Reputation Tour during Eras with snake motifs, reimagined dark Taylor costuming, and more. The four-song setlist was a highlight of the show — that “Don't Blame Me” high note! — and especially “Look What You Made Me Do,” when her dancers donned old Taylor outfits and became trapped in glass boxes, banging on the sides to get out. Current Taylor only taunted them, dancing alongside and looking menacing. (Bonus: Andrea Swift absolutely rocking out to this song, as she should.)

Justice for Speak Now , But “Enchanted” Was Gorgeous

Taylor Swift's entirely self-written album — and the rumored next re-record — received some of the least attention during the Eras Tour. But the record did get a beautiful moment in “Enchanted,” where Taylor emerged in a glittering gown amidst purple fog. Enchanting, in the truest sense.

Instagram content

“i just love the idea of men apologizing”.

The folklore era was the most fully-fledged at the Eras Tour, with eight songs in total. Before she sang “Betty,” Taylor gave one of her most spot-on monologues: “I love to explain to men how to apologize,” she said, which, so true. “I just love the idea of men apologizing.”

“My Tears Ricochet”: A Funeral Procession

A true best moment of the Eras Tour: the dramatic funeral procession version of “My Tears Ricochet.” The visuals were out of an epic disaster movie, Taylor as the eye of a storm, a tsunami headed straight for you. The ultimate scene was her leading a pack of dancers in funeral black down the long stage.

“Tim McGraw,” Piano Version

I cried, you cried, 69,000+ people cried when Taylor sat at the piano to play the first song she ever released: “Tim McGraw.” The song was part of an acoustic set that also included “Mirrorball” — and according to Taylor, the set won't repeat any songs for the whole tour, unless she really messes something up and wants a do-over. (Not likely.)

A Dip in the Pool

The most shocking Eras Tour moment: when Taylor Swift suddenly dove into a pool of water at the very front of the stage. It was a sick visual moment, as the long stage took on a graphic of Taylor “swimming” underwater the length of the stadium, only to emerge on the main stage ready to take us into the final era of the setlist: Midnights . Meanwhile, the dive is already a viral internet meme. 

The “Bejeweled” TikTok Dance

The TikTok x Taylor Swift crossover continued into the night during “Bejeweled,” when she performed the popular dance created by Mikael Arellano — complete with finger-wiggling shimmer.

“Karma” Is a Closer

If “Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince” was a surprising opening, “Karma” was a surprising finisher for the Eras Tour setlist. The Midnights track brought the whole show full circle, showing her joy and confidence in her performances and her team, and the work she and her coworkers put in to get here. (Plus, another win for the Karma album theory truthers ; one fan spotted an orange coat , as evidence of the album trapped in Taylor's vault.)

You can find the complete Taylor Swift Eras Tour setlist below: 

“Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince” “Cruel Summer” “The Man” “You Need to Calm Down” “Lover” “The Archer” “Fearless “You Belong With Me” “Love Story” “Tis the Damn Season” “Willow” “Marjorie” “Champagne Problems” “Tolerate It” “…Ready for It?” “Delicate” “Don’t Blame Me” “Look What You Made Me Do” “Enchanted” “22” “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” “I Knew You Were Trouble” “All Too Well (10-Minute Version)” “Seven” (poetry version) “Invisible String” “Betty” “The Last Great American Dynasty” “August”/ “Illicit Affairs” “My Tears Ricochet” “Cardigan” “Style” “Blank Space” “Shake It Off” “Wildest Dreams” “Bad Blood” “Mirrorball” (acoustic) “Tim McGraw” (acoustic) “Lavender Haze” “Anti-Hero” “Midnight Rain” “Vigilante Shit” “Bejeweled” “Mastermind” “Karma”

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An Honest Review of Taylor Swift’s ‘The Eras Tour’

Kerry Cullen , Driftstone Editor-In-Chief | June 12, 2023

Alyssa Inserra

Taylor Swift: Whatever one’s opinion is of her, there is no doubt she is one of the most popular and influential music artists of this generation. Someone described by many as “the music industry,” Swift has been in the game for a while – 17 years, to be exact. Throughout her years, she has put out ten albums, two “Taylor’s Version” re-recorded albums (and counting), and performed five concert tours. Her most recent, The Eras Tour, has been rumored to be her most exciting and extravagant tour yet. As its name implies, The Eras Tour takes audience members through [almost] every “era” Taylor Swift has gone through since the beginning of her music career. There are around four to six songs per era, with Speak Now and her debut album, Taylor Swift , being outliers with only one song and having no songs at all, respectively. Her newer albums have slightly more songs on the set list as well, simply because Swift has not had a chance to sing these songs on tour yet. The true standout songs of this tour are Swift’s “surprise songs,” in which every show she plays two completely different songs, both acoustic: one on guitar and one on the piano. This keeps fans anxiously awaiting the songs they will hear that night. From the opening acts to the extreme details, The Eras Tour was worth “The Great War” to get seats!

A full concert experience starts with the atmosphere. For these shows, “Swifties” go all out. At MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Saturday, May 27, there were lots of hidden Taylor Swift references, bright colors, and glitter. The positivity radiating off the crowds made the atmosphere of the concert exponentially more welcoming and fun. Fans were also trading bracelets on every line, in the parking lot, and in the stadium. It was heartwarming to see fans bond over them.

After the opening acts of Gracie Abrams and Phoebe Bridgers, the show started with a clock ticking down. When it got to 0:00, performers walked out onto stage waving giant pastel fans while Swift’s introduction played. The excited suspense in the stadium was palpable. Finally, like magic, Swift appeared out from under the fans and started her Lover set, the first era of the night.

Lover kicked off the tour with six songs: “Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince,” “Cruel Summer,” “The Man,” “You Need to Calm Down,” “Lover,” and “The Archer.” Lover was a perfect start to the tour. The songs are upbeat and fun, and they further excite fans who are ready to scream Swift’s lyrics all night. The colors were bright and primarily pink, and the stage displayed different backgrounds and colors to match what song she was singing (this is a constant throughout the show). She had one large set piece that she used multiple times for different uses in the show. For Lover, it took the form of different floors to a corporate building because she was “The Man” – a song that explores sexism in the workplace and in broader society. For her Saturday, May 27 show, Swift’s outfits for Lover consisted of a “bejeweled” rainbow pastel one-piece and a silver, sparkly blazer for her performance of  “The Man.” This was a high-energy and fantastic way to open her set, and it was a joy to witness. To signify eras changing throughout the tour, the stage lights flash and the screen on the main stage displays the next era’s signature color. Gold colors were displayed for my show, so Fearless was up next.

Fearless was one of her shorter eras on the tour, with only three songs: “Fearless,” “You Belong with Me,” and “Love Story.” Despite its length, Fearless did not disappoint. She wore a gold flapper-like dress with rhinestones and sparkles. The timeless songs chosen and the stage lit with the image of a sparkly silver guitar, an iconic image from the era, made Fearless a memorable and fun section of the show. 

Suddenly, images of nature were shown on the screen, and larger-than-life tree structures arose from the stage. It was truly an extraordinary sight to witness. This was the start to the Evermore set, which contained five songs: “Tis’ the Damn Season,” “Willow,” “Marjorie,” “Champagne Problems,” and “Tolerate It.” These songs are slower and slightly more solemn than the songs from the other sets, and it was a nice change of pace to quietly sing along and bask in the moment. Swift wore an amber-colored floor-length dress. The visuals in this era were very interesting, having an almost Salem witch trial-looking ensemble of dancers behind her complete with fire for “Willow,” a beautiful moss-covered piano for “Champagne Problems,” and a fully set table for “Tolerate It.” Arguably one of the best moments in this era was when she sang “Marjorie,” resulting in fans collectively turning on their phone flashlights, which made for a heartwarming and emotional moment. Evermore was a beautiful collection of songs that truly connected the stadium. 

Taking a complete one-eighty turn from Evermore, the next era was Reputation. Immediately recognized with a snake slithering across the stage, this era is defined by personal growth, and living for one’s self. This set had four songs: “…Ready for It?,” “Delicate,” “Don’t Blame Me,” and “Look What You Made Me Do.” This era, having arguably some of the most quotable songs, was immensely fun and empowering to listen and sing to. Swift wore a black bodysuit with snake detailing, an ode to the era’s most standout symbol. This section’s most notable detail was the “different eras of Taylor” set displayed behind her during the “Look What You Made Me Do” performance, referencing the music video of the same name. Screaming along to the powerful lyrics of Reputation was a liberating experience. Eventually, the snake shed its skin, and it was time for the shortest era of the bunch.

Speak Now only had one song (“Enchanted”), but it still delivered in performance. The stage was lit with purple sparkles, and Swift wore a gorgeous purple ball gown-style dress. The absence of other tracks from this album might be explained by the anticipated release of Speak Now: Taylor’s Version on Friday, July 7, and for that reason, it is worth the wait. “Enchanted” was whimsical, magical, and yes, enchanting. 

The next era is Red, with five songs, not including Swift’s introduction: “22,” “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” “I Knew You Were Trouble,” “Nothing New (ft. Phoebe Bridgers),” and “All Too Well (10 Minute Version).” The era started with one of the dancers rolling a sparkly red cart out onto the stage. Upon its opening, the audience heard recorded snippets of “State of Grace,” “Holy Ground,” and “Red.” Suddenly, Swift popped out in her “A Lot Going On At The Moment” shirt and fedora-like hat, referencing her “22” music video. She ended the song’s performance on a heartwarming note, giving the hat to a younger child on the floor. After that, she switched into a red sequined dress fading into black sequins at the bottom. Red had two very distinct vibes: fun and emotional. The more fun songs were danced around to, and featured flashy red lighting. After those songs, Bridgers joined Swift to sing “Nothing New” with her, to my absolute delight. Hearing the two performers sing together was a definite highlight of the night. Then, it was time for the ultimate “Swiftie” song: “All Too Well (10 Minute Version).” Hearing other fans sing along to its iconic verses, as well as hearing Swift perform it live, was a truly special experience.

Folklore started with a spoken word poem of her song “Seven,” which was a calming way to begin. The stage displayed forest imagery, and Swift brought out her large set piece to make a cabin for performances of  “The Last Great American Dynasty” and “Betty.” The era’s seven songs (“The 1,” “Betty,” “The Last Great American Dynasty,” “August,” “Illicit Affairs,” “My Tears Ricochet,” and “Cardigan”) created somewhat of a soft, calm vibe for the set. Swift wore a green, flowy dress. Highlights from this set include hearing the iconic bridge to “Illicit Affairs” following the beautiful “August” (with one of the prettiest screen displays out of the whole show). Much like Evermore, Folklore was a calming, gentle set compared to Swift’s other albums, but was still entertaining.

Now, into arguably one of Swift’s most forgotten albums, 1989. This set had five songs: “Style,” “Blank Space,” “Shake It Off,” “Wildest Dreams,” and “Bad Blood.” Through and through, this set was a fun group of songs to dance around and scream along to, which is really the whole point of a concert. Swift was rocking another green outfit, this time light green and a two-piece set. It was incredibly fun to scream all the lyrics, but at this point in the concert, the crowd was only focused on one thing.

Now, for the main event…kind of. The audience had been waiting almost three hours to hear songs that would not be played again at following shows. “When she does her surprise songs…it is honestly amazing,” said sophomore Lucas McNally. At the Saturday, May 27 show, the surprise songs were “Holy Ground” (from Red ) and “False God” (from Lover ), which  many feel are some of Swift’s best works. Hearing this pair was EXTREMELY exciting, and made the concert even better.

Finally, after Swift dove under the stage into a “pool,” her Midnights set started. Midnights , her most-recent album, featured seven songs: “Lavender Haze,” “Anti-Hero,” “Midnight Rain,” “Vigilante S**t,” “Bejeweled,” “Mastermind,” and “Karma.” There is nothing more to say about this set that has not been said about the others. It was extremely fun to jump around singing the lyrics fans have been listening to since the album’s October release. She had multiple outfit changes to match each song, and the lights were different for each song as well, signifying that Midnights is her most musically diverse album yet. A significant note is that for “Karma,” Ice Spice, an artist who Swift collaborated with on a new version of the song mere days before, came out and sang her verse, shocking fans. The song was a perfect finale to a perfect concert.

“Just the fact that she can perform for over three hours and keep the audience engaged throughout is incredible. I still can’t believe I actually experienced The Eras Tour, and I think it lived up to the hype,” said junior Alexis Raynor. Senior Alyssa Inserra added, “ The Eras Tour was unforgettable. Once I was in the thick of it, the crowd and music enveloped me, and I never looked back…She checked all the boxes, and delivered a show that was deserving of so much praise, and was worth any hassle in getting a ticket to see her.” Every detail, down to the outfits and lighting, formed an incredible show. 

I am a member of the Class of 2024 as well as a managing editor for Horizon. I like to write, read, sing, and act. One fun fact about me is that I love...

I am a member of the Class of 2023 and the Driftstone editor-in-chief. Along with creative writing, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, getting...

Hi! My name is Alexis Raynor, and I am a member of the Class of 2024 and a managing editor for Horizon. I love to dance and hang out with my friends. I...

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Taylor Swift Announces '1989 (Taylor's Version),' Receives 8-Minute Deafening Standing Ovation at Last L.A. Show

At her final show in Los Angeles for the Eras Tour, the star surprised fans by announcing the upcoming re-release of her '1989' album

Melody Chiu is an Executive Editor at PEOPLE overseeing music, events and emerging content. She has been with the brand since 2009, editing, writing and reporting across all entertainment verticals. She has written cover stories on Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Melissa McCarthy, Blake Shelton, Jordan Turpin and Sandra Oh. The Los Angeles native graduated from the University of Southern California and has appeared on Extra! , The Talk, Access Hollywood and Good Morning America .

Taylor Swift 's fans received the surprise of their wildest dreams at her final Los Angeles Eras Tour show on Wednesday.

During the acoustic portion of her show, the pop superstar — who had sported new costumes in various blue hues (the color palette of her 2014 album 1989 ) throughout the evening — announced the upcoming Oct. 27 re-release of her first Grammy-winning pop album.

"The last time that I was so pleasantly surprised by some stuff that you guys did was when I announced that I was going to be re-recording . That was something that I expected to be just a me thing, just a personal thing. Since I was a teenager, I wanted to own my music," Swift said onstage. "The way to do it was to re-record my albums, and the way that you have embraced ... that you have celebrated, that you really decided that it was your fight too, and that you were 100 percent behind me ... I will never stop thanking you for that."

Kevin Winter/TAS23/Getty

"And so now, here we are on the last night of the U.S. leg of the Eras tour in the eighth month of the year on the ninth day. You might have noticed there are some new outfits in the show. There's something that I've been planning for a really, really, really ridiculously, embarrassingly long time, and instead of telling you about it, I think I'll just sort of show you," she said, unveiling the cover art and release date for 1989 (Taylor's Version) on the big screen before launching into "New Romantics," a fan-favorite track off the deluxe edition of her record.

Minutes later, Swift shared some more details about the upcoming release on her Instagram account. "To be perfectly honest, this is my most FAVORITE re-record I've ever done because the 5 From the Vault tracks are so insane," she wrote. "I can't believe they were ever left behind. But not for long!"

Earlier in the night, the singer joked with the audience that they would have to "deal with my emotions" surrounding her final show on the current run of her tour. "I don't know if you've heard about this or not, but I have a lot of them," she said. "So here's why: this has been the most extraordinary, fun, wonderful, magical experience of my entire life being on this tour with these people on this stage."

After singing "Champagne Problems" at the piano during the evermore portion of the show, Swift drew a deafening eight-minute-long standing ovation from her fans.

 Kevin Winter/TAS23/Getty

"What are you doing? People have emotions. You're playing with them right now. I love you so much," she said onstage, overwhelmed. "So generous ... you're doing it still? What are you doing? This show's going to be seven hours long because we're going to scream for half of it. I love you, I love you, I love you. That was so nice."

Swift — who sources confirm recently gave bonuses totaling over $55 million to every person working on her shows — kicked off her highly anticipated tour in March , dazzling fans with a 44-song setlist spanning 17 years of her songwriting career.

After announcing the re-release of her 2010 album Speak Now at a May stop, she surprised fans at her July 10 show by bringing out Taylor Lautner, Joey King and Presley Cash onstage after premiering her music video for the vault track "I Can See You."

Throughout the run of her tour, Swift's shows have drawn a slew of famous attendees , including Gigi Hadid , Meghan Markle, Reese Witherspoon , Channing Tatum and more.

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Taylor Swift’s “Eras” Tour vs. Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” Tour, in Charts

Which singer boasts the longest set list the most costume changes the most horses on stage.

Everyone is talking about the biggest movie battle of the year , but no one is talking about this summer’s other, equally important double feature: Taylor Swift’s Ticketmaster-crashing “Eras” tour vs. Beyoncé’s record-breaking “Renaissance” tour. Now, here at Slate we’re not in the habit of pitting women against each other. But we are interested in celebrating the massive achievements of two of our most influential entertainers. In order to do that, it’s helpful to know just how massive these achievements are, especially when the two tours are projected to become the highest grossing of all time. And maybe you, like many unlucky others who couldn’t snag a coveted ticket to one or both, are wondering how they measure up to each other. We are on the case.

With the recent announcement of an additional extension, Taylor Swift’s “Eras” tour will wind up lasting for a year and a half, with her first date having occurred in March 2023 and her last (for now, at least) set for November 2024. Beyoncé, on the other hand, doesn’t have time for all that! In addition to being a superstar, she’s also a mother! Her “Renaissance” tour will run from May to October , barring any extensions.

While individual concerts on each tour vary in length, Swift’s career-spanning run-through generally clocks in at over three hours , sometimes as long as 3 hours and 30 minutes . Overall, Setlist.fm estimates that the average show length on the “Eras” tour is 3 hours, 23 minutes . Meanwhile Beyoncé’s traveling ballroom is more unpredictable—sometimes over three hours , sometimes closer to two and a half , with Setlist.fm estimating that the average performance is 2 hours, 29 minutes .

Swift takes the lead here with an average set list of 46 songs (including the two “surprise songs” that change each show), which makes sense considering her tour is a celebration of her entire career thus far. Whereas Beyoncé’s is a celebration of something else entirely .

This is for all the Swifties out there wondering how much play time each era gets in her setlist (excluding special songs). #JusticeForSpeakNow!

The three unreleased covers specified here include two sung by Beyoncé: Rose Royce’s “I’m Going Down” (popularized by Mary J. Blige) and a tribute to the late, great Tina Turner with “ River Deep–Mountain High .” The third cover is from Beyoncé’s backup singers, who offer a beautiful rendition of Diana Ross’ “Love Hangover.” Beyoncé also performs her version of “Before I Let Go,” by Maze, but we categorized that with  Homecoming: The Live Album , since that’s where her version was first released.

Though the numbers have changed over time, Taylor Swift goes through about 16 different costumes per show, most of which echo her iconic looks from each respective “era” she reprises. Beyoncé completes about half the amount of quick-changes, instead segmenting her show with visual interludes that allow her to sport around nine different costumes .

Swift may don more outfits per night than Beyoncé, but when it comes to switching looks, overall, it’s Queen Bey who takes the crown. Swift has worn approximately 44 costumes throughout her entire tour—though, I must say, many sources count a simple exchange of kitschy jackets as a whole new outfit, which is a debatable inclusion. By comparison, Beyoncé has worn nothing but the fashions of today’s top designers (including her own Ivy Park line), which she refreshes at nearly every stop on her tour. Her stylist, Shiona Turini, posted on Aug. 28 that after 42 shows in 12 countries, Bey officially wore her 100 th look (a black Loewe dress with a metallic bodice).

At Swift’s Aug. 9 show in Los Angeles, the crowd of 70,000 delivered an impressive eight-minute ovation following her performance of “Champagne Problems,” the extended applause for which has become something of a nightly showstopping ritual . On the other hand, Bey’s production doesn’t allow much time for cheering. But the loudest and longest cheers that have taken place have definitely been for her daughter, Blue Ivy , who often dances during the songs “My Power” and “Black Parade.”

At the end of her show, Beyoncé flies around the stadium on a gigantic silver horse , a reference to her Renaissance album cover . Unsurprisingly, Swift’s show features no equivalent.

Beyoncé’s 23 dancers include the famous duo Les Twins and an official dance credit for Blue Ivy, while Swift boasts a comparatively modest 16 dancers .

After all is said and done, the “Eras” tour will have hosted 10 opening acts , from established groups like Paramore and Haim to up-and-coming indie darlings like Beabadoobee and Girl in Red. In contrast, Beyoncé is her own opening act. [ Update, Sept. 5:  While Beyoncé has not had official openers, she has invited the occasional DJ to curate an opening set, including the musician Arca in June for her Barcelona show. For two of Beyoncé’s Los Angeles concerts at the beginning of September, which celebrated the singer’s Sept. 4 birthday, DJ Khaled filled that slot, bringing out 11 other hip-hop artists: 2 Chainz, Wiz Khalifa, Offset, Coi Leray, Roddy Ricch, Lil Wayne, YG, Big Sean, Doechii, O.T. Genasis, and Lil Durk. For the third L.A. performance, taking place on Beyoncé’s actual birthday, she was serenaded by Diana Ross, who sang “Happy Birthday,” and joined by Kendrick Lamar to perform their remix of “America Has a Problem.”]

Swift, very much in the spirit of celebrating other artists and turning her tour into a party, has had five special guests perform with her so far, including frequent collaborator Aaron Dessner of the National and rapper Ice Spice. The number jumps to eight if we’re including her opening acts joining her on stage for a song or two, though that’s less of a surprise. Beyoncé’s show is a tad more structured, and because of that, the only consistent “special” guest she’s brought on stage is her daughter. As of this writing on Sept. 1, the other special guest Beyoncé has featured was another dancer, voguer ChaCha Balenciaga, who performed in Washington, D.C., during the show’s mini ball section .

No tour, no matter how meticulously planned, can go off without a hitch. And it’s safe to say that’s no different for our reigning divas. From our research, we were able to find seven mishaps during Swift’s tour (that were no fault of her own): like when her trap door didn’t open on time , or her mic stopped working , or she swallowed a bug . Meanwhile, Ms. Carter had to work some stage direction into her song when her crew forgot to turn her fan on. There was also that time the aforementioned giant flying horse malfunctioned, which visibly annoyed the perfectionist . Nobody’s perfect, but even with equestrian blunders, some of us still come closer than others.

Update, Sept. 7, 2023: This article was updated to clarify that Beyoncé’s version of “Before I Let Go” is both a cover and a song that she previously performed on  Homecoming: The Live Album .